The Jalapeño Popper

Jalapeño poppers are the crown jewel of low carb entertaining. They’re tasty, Atkins induction friendly, and no one thinks of them as diet food. Not only that, but you can make a full oven of them for under $6. I made these long before I ever had a breaded, fried popper, and when I did finally try the high carb version, it wasn’t half as good.

Ingredients

• jalapeños
• cream cheese
• bacon
• toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off the peppers and slice them down the middle. Then scoop out the interiors, making sure to get every last seed. The seeds are very spicy, and every one missed will be an unexpected burst of heat. Wash the peppers in a colander, then set them to dry.

Tip: Wash peppers in cold water, lest they form a potent pepper mist and blind you for the evening.

Take each half and spread a liberal amount of cream cheese inside. Wrap each pepper with ⅓ a slice of bacon, secure it with a toothpick, and place it on a greased baking pan.

Tip: Some people like to fry their bacon crispy and mix it into the cream cheese, but if you’re anything like me, a pile of freshly cooked bacon is a major liability. I reduce the bacon lost to snacking by wrapping the peppers individually and letting the bacon crisp in the oven. Individually wrapped peppers also tend to taste more wholesome, as mixing bacon into the cream cheese destroys its subtle flavors and lends it a processed taste.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp and cheese is browned. Let them cool for five minutes.

Tagged as: appetizer, atkins, atkins induction, cream cheese, gluten-free, jalapeño, jalapeño poppers, low carb, no gluten, pepper, Recipes